Forgetting Façades
by DenizenofTwilight
Summary: A Kingdom Hearts 3D missing moment. While Neku and Joshua are conversing, Sora and Shiki are left to their own devices. As such, they have their own important conversation. Past teasing and finding a new friend in each other, the two learn to not waste the time they have. Thus, Shiki decides to confront Neku with her feelings, and Sora decides to set things right with Kairi.


**Forgetting Façades **

As Sora and Shiki hurried off after the Dream Eater in the Third District, he found it increasingly hard not to look at Shiki and think of someone else. Okay, so Kairi's hair wasn't as pink (or curly); her eyes also were not brown, and Sora didn't even think his Light filled best friend was as perky as this girl… Even so, when Sora had first seen an image of Shiki whilst she was in the other Traverse Town, his first ridiculous thought had been that she was Kairi. And even now knowing that she wasn't… Well, it didn't make Sora feel any less guilty for leaving the Princess of Heart behind. Again.

Sora wondered idly how Riku was dealing with the absence of Kai-

"Excuse me, Sora?" Stopping so fast that his shoes skidded on the ground beneath them, Sora suddenly became aware of the fact that Shiki wasn't following him anymore, and seemed to want to ask him something. Furthermore, she was now standing behind him with her head ducked, while teetering on her feet self-consciously (or Sora thought that was the reason for the action).

"Yes, Shiki?" Sora smiled radiantly at the girl before him. He had hoped by saying her name more surely than she had his might make her more comfortable around him. However, as Sora noted Shiki had raised her head, but was still averting her eyes and playing with her stuffed cat's ear, he thought his attempt might have been in vain.

Oh well. Maybe it would be best if he laid off on the "knight in shining armor" role. After all, he didn't want it to seem like he was flirting with Shiki. Sora could pretty much hear Donald's jeers already. Ugh. More important than that, though, was the knowledge that Neku seemed to like Shiki, and Sora certainly more than liked Kairi, so…

"Umm, do you think we could slow down for a bit? I'm a bit tired, and Neku's not here, so-"

Without even stopping to think about it, Sora pounded a fist on his chest, and put a comforting arm around Shiki, while stating, "Don't worry, Shiki! I don't need Neku's help. I'll defeat that Dream Eater toot sweet, and then you and your friends can-"

"Thank you, Sora. I appreciate your help and conviction, but what I mean is I can't fight without Neku."

Yep. Too late did Sora understand Shiki's real meaning behind her words. Gosh, he was an idiot! Shiki couldn't fight without her Partner! Hadn't Sora just had a similar conversation with Neku? Sure Sora wasn't really planning on letting Shiki fight (or Neku if he could help it, as Sora had a lot of experience with fighting Dream Eaters and Neku didn't), but that didn't mean he wanted Shiki sitting around defenseless, either. As the last thought made Sora think of a time when someone else was defenseless, he could only hope and pray that Kairi would be safe on the island this time. He didn't even know what he'd do if she was gone agai-

"Aww, I appreciate the hug, Sora. But now it seems as though you need one yourself?" Most likely having noticed the troubled look in Sora's eyes, Shiki did end up wrapping her arms tightly around Sora's frame. He had to admit… It felt nice. Though Sora had been trying to be strong and independent on his current adventure—as these were all qualities of a Keyblade Master, no doubt—he did have to admit he missed the companionship that had come on his other quests. This Realm of Sleep was so lonely…

And so it was that Sora was glad he'd broken his normal behavior and hugged this strange girl. Though he was truly glad she had returned it (when he'd needed it most when worrying about Kairi), he found his heart was beating in time with Shiki's, and it felt right. Maybe… maybe that was what was meant to be his true mission. To get all the hearts of the worlds to coincide with each other, and rediscover the Light. Sora thought he might be able to accomplish such a thing, but only if a certain girl who better fitted his arms was with him.

"Soooooooo-"

"So who do you remind me of, right?" Looking at Shiki with a raised eyebrow, Sora had to laugh when Shiki gasped with her hands over her mouth, before walking in a small circle whilst stomping her feet. Though Sora had to admit he was sad to see he'd angered her (or at least she was pretending to be angry), he had to admit that it felt nice to beat someone to the punch for once. Though Sora didn't exactly want to dish all of the details about Kairi to her could-be-doppelganger, he supposed he might be able to spare a few details. Neku was still, sadly, back where they'd left him, and Shiki wanted a break…

Yeah, Sora supposed he could talk about Kairi. It was either that or have Shiki interrogate him. And as Sora had learned from when Selphie acted this way (usually drawing out words, herself), it was best to head her off. "You know, sitting like that, you remind me of my friend's girlfriend."

"Oh, really?" Shiki asked, as she went from sitting in the air to sitting on the ground with her feet stretched out in front of her. As she cocked her head to the side and met Sora with a questioning look, he surmised she was probably wondering in which position she looked like Rinoa. The one she'd just been sitting in, or the new one. However, as Sora really only knew a few stories about Rinoa, he thought it best to change the subject. Sitting beside Shiki, Sora tried his best to hide his blushing face from his new friend. He didn't want to give her any more ammunition to make fun of him.

In fact, trying to deter her for just a minute longer, Sora commented on that it was no wonder Shiki was so tired with the death-trap-shoes she was wearing. As it was, the pink haired girl's response was to giggle at that a bit, and then shoot Sora a look.

Knowing full well the look meant, _Get on with story time while we wait for slowpoke-Neku_, Sora thought it might be best to get one thing out of the way before he began retelling his life's story. "Can I just assure you that Neku really does like you? I think you should know that. Past the silliness and games you play when you like someone, you should know that's the truth hidden behind the façade."

Seeming to smile slightly to herself now (though Sora had to admit it was hard to see from the corner of his eye, and with some of Shiki's hair covering her face), Shiki roughly put an arm around Sora. Though he thought it was mostly to shake the story of his own love life out of him, or to get him to stop saying such things about hers, Sora also knew that she was trying to comfort the real strain she was now sensing in him.

Turning to face Sora now, with her hat bopping Sora on the head, Shiki winked at Sora before saying, "Oh, I know exactly how that dork feels. I've played enough games with him—life and death ones alike—to know come hell or high water that Neku will always be there for me, but Neku will be Neku," Shiki said the last bit with a shrug of her shoulders. Snickering a bit at this, Sora had to wonder if he and Kairi seemed this blasé to others.

"Anyway," Shiki continued on, and the more serious tone she was adopting made Sora opt to pay perfect attention to her now, "there seems to be something behind your words, Sora. Am I right in assuming that everything's not hunky-dory in your tale? Maybe instead of telling these things to a fantasy of your girlfriend, you should tell them to the girlfriend who is your perfect fantasy. Don't make me go temptress to persuade you."

A little too late, Sora gave Shiki a furtive look. As the girl had now taken to chewing on her bottom lip with a rather contrite expression on her face, he thought there was probably more to the last statement than Shiki was letting on. Even stranger, Sora had the strangest inkling that it had something to be with Riku. If the worried expression Shiki was giving Sora was any indication, he thought he probably wasn't too far off the mark.

Still… Despite the playful bantering they were exhibiting, Sora respected and trusted Shiki enough not to question her about it. The way she breathed deeply, and bonked Sora on the head once, seemed to be her way of thanking him for that. And as Sora laughed the slightest bit (probably from blunt force trauma), he found he was once again thinking of Kairi. Of a time he'd been "dreaming" and she'd slapped him upside the head to wake him up...

"So," Shiki said as she stood up and dusted her hands on her skirt. It occurred to Sora then that Shiki was suddenly being much more civil towards him than she had been before. Likewise, Sora smiled at Shiki sincerely, too, and decided for the moment they could leave behind the silly game they were playing, and put their façades behind them. As Shiki had hinted at, maybe Sora needed to take his own advice and tell all his thoughts to Kairi. Because even though he was fairly certain she already knew his feelings (as Kairi had an uncanny way of knowing things), it had taken meeting this girl with her existence on the line to remind Sora of just how precious time was. Sure, Kairi might have known Sora would be there for her when she needed him, but where did it go beyond just knowing and actually happen? When would he be there for Kairi when she needed him emotionally, when would-

"I'm going to guess that you don't bring this girl with you because you think she can't fight, right?" Looking at Shiki curiously now, and cocking his own head to the side, Sora noted that Shiki was once again hiding her face away from him, and hugging her black cat. This time, though, it was different. As a sixth sense seemed to prickle in Sora's mind, he thought he knew exactly what she was planning. He could only hope he was right, and she would give him his much-needed reassurance. "Welp," Shiki went on heedless of Sora's response and his eyes that were locked desperately on her. "I might not be the best fighter, but you'd be surprised what you can learn in the field. Maybe you need to give your redhead a chance, too. If nothing else, I know how to defend myself. And I get to be with Neku, so it can't be all bad!"

"Nope! Definitely not all bad!" Sora chirped, as he poked Shiki on the forehead the moment she'd jumped up in glee at her proclamation. For a moment, Shiki's eyes seemed a little bit irritated, but as Sora looked at her challengingly, the real reaction he knew she was hiding came into fruition. So once again jumping up in the air, Shiki punched Sora in the arm and laughed when he did. "I like you, Mr. Keyblade Master!" the girl said in a singsong voice.

And it was the fact that Shiki had gone ahead and called him a Master even though he hadn't passed his test yet that made Sora grin from ear to ear, and answer in kind, "And I like you, Shiki. And I promise you. I'm going to destroy this Dream Eater with you and Neku, and then you can go back to your home Shibuya. I promise." And when they looked into each other's eyes seriously for a beat, without even the slightest bit of joking, that Sora knew that Shiki believed and trusted him. Trusted him like she did his Partner. And after this moment, Sora promised himself he'd do everything in his power to not betray this trust. Shiki might not have been the girl of Sora's dreams, but she was a girl in a dream with him that he cared about. And that… That was more than enough. Much more than enough.

And though Sora thought if Donald were with him, he'd probably chastise him for "laying it on thick", Sora couldn't help but think such a thing would be counter productive. After all, these were the words one offered a friend. And as Sora waited with Shiki while Neku did "puppet" things for Joshua" (according to a teasing Shiki, anyway), Sora couldn't help but feel he'd made one of the best friends he ever could, and how he would do anything to see her back to her home and friends: She who had helped him see things in a new light. She who had convinced Sora that he really _should_ tell Yen Sid about Kairi being a wielder.

"Come on," Shiki said from beneath the arm Sora had wrapped around her. (Huh? When had he ended up hugging her again? He didn't mind, though. Shiki was a great friend, and-) "I think I see Neku on the horizon, so we should probably go beat him to the Dream Eater and pretend we've been doing something productive. But then again, Neku can be as slow as molasses. So maybe we don't have to hurry too much."

Sora (after laughing at that a bit) latched onto Shiki's hand and began running towards the Dream Eater. Still, over his shoulder, Sora could see that Neku was indeed keeping up a slow stride now that he was coming after them. Ugh! The kid was like Riku! Smiling cheekily at Shiki, Sora muttered, "You're right. With that cool air about him, he probably thinks the battles will wait for him."

Putting his hands behind his head, Sora had to marvel at the sweetness that was Shiki's laughter. How he'd missed smiling and making others smile! This… This had been what he'd been missing. Sure he'd at first thought he was just having fun with Shiki for teasing her about Neku (and she'd probably thought the same thing when it came to him and Kairi), but now Sora saw their friendship for what it really was: having someone to share a laugh with. Since the world had turned topsy-turvy, there hadn't been many moments when Sora could laugh, and not have it laced with something else. But with Shiki he could. With Shiki he could be happy.

Finally deciding with Shiki to let Neku join them, Sora once again slowed to a halt. And even in that, it was hard to believe how much had changed and transpired from the first time he'd skidded to a stop today. And so it was then beneath Traverse Town's dazzling lights, that Sora thought to make one of his wishes come true: He was upfront with his new friend about what she meant to him. He told her that come hell or high water, he could and would do anything for her and her friends, too. And it would be those words that would eventually buy Sora an invitation to Shibuya (one he would payback by inviting Shiki and her friends to Destiny Islands).

Pulling out the lucky charm Kairi had given him, Sora ended up thinking of all the things he'd learned from Shiki, and how he would implement it with his relationship with Kairi. As she was tired of waiting, Sora, too, was tired of waiting to spend time with her.

Yes, looking at the thalassa charm for the first time on this journey, Sora thought of all of the promises he'd made, and all the great things that were to come. He could only hope he'd helped Shiki just as thoroughly as she had him.

Later, when Sora saw Shiki talking to Neku, but not fidgeting at all, and sounding so sure of herself… The smile she awarded him seemed to be answer enough. She had saved him, he had saved her, but most of all, they'd saved each other. Maybe… Maybe Sora could unite the worlds yet.

**Author's Note: So, the last bit was obviously inspired by The Hunger Games. Not gonna lie. There are other references in here, too (many having to do with DDD), so kudos who anyone who spots them all.**

**So, I have mixed feelings about this piece. I actually had this idea a long time ago, forgot about it, and remembered it recently. And though I like it… the atmosphere wasn't what I originally had in mind. I suppose it was supposed to be more chipper? IDK. But then again, I do think the Shiki here is closer to TWEWY Shiki than the way I originally intended to write this, so I guess that's good. And it's also fun to write Sora smart and serious-ish again. I feel like the games have been making him too oblivious lately.**

**On another note, I hope the hugging doesn't seem too weird in this. Ugh! What is Sora's stance on them? I have no idea! He hugs Riku like crazy at the end of DDD (for good reason), but is really uncomfortable when Tron hugs him (probably because it's out of nowhere), and is all shy when Kairi hugs him in KH2 (because he likes her). And these are all understandable reactions, but leave me having no idea how to characterize Sora when it comes to hugs. Ugh.**

**Anyway, this is loosely inspired by The Genius Mage's "Staying Strong" fic, in which Riku and Aqua get some new insight through their own interaction. It's a great read, so I'd definitely recommend it. I mean, how can you not like it? Angel's like the goddess of fanfiction. And if you've read it, you can probably see some of the lines I borrowed from it. Hahaha. **

**Anywho, I hope you all enjoyed? This was a lot of fun, actually. So I hope you guys found something interesting in this, too. Expect more "KH3D missing moments" fics from me in the future.**

**Thanks for reading.**

**Love you guys.**

**-Shanna**

**P.S. Spread the SoKai love! I think too many people are forgetting their magic lately. I missed Kairi so much in DDD, thus part of the reason I wrote this, so yeah…**


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